Back to the British Virgin Islands, Sharing our Adventure with Family 

The BVI is where it all began a year ago December when we set off to Grenada, and now we have come full circle and are returning to our original jumping off point.

We had a long but uneventful 26 hour sail from Antigua to BVI.  We set off at 4 a.m. in the morning from Antigua, and then arrived in St. Maarten about 13 hours later.  Instead of checking in, we flew the quarantine (yellow flag) and stayed at anchor instead of going ashore.  We then left again the next morning at 4 a.m. and arrived in Road Town, BVI around 5 pm, just in time to clear customs and have the veterinarian, Deveaux, come meet Pirate and check her in as well.  

As the sun was beginning to set, we headed off to Norman Island and were fortunate to find an unused mooring ball in the dark where we would stay for the next 2 nights, just relaxing before the arrival of our guests. 

We went to Nanny Cay Marina in order to clean the boat, do laundry and provision before my brother and Katie arrived.  Due to a flight connection issue, they were able to get re-routed direct to Tortola, thus arriving almost 3 hours earlier than originally planned.  Well done.

It was great to see their smiling faces, and we spent a lovely evening catching up. 





The next day we had planned to go to The Baths, a unique rock formation on the beach that you can climb through.  Unfortunately the winds were up and there was a red flag - meaning no mooring, no swimming - so we headed straight to North Sound Virgin Gorda and took a mooring at Bitter End Yacht Club.  It was Katie's first trip on a sailboat, and even with the high winds she enjoyed the sail.

After a refreshing swim we headed into BEYC and then Saba Rock for some well deserved refreshments.  Below, the Saba Rock G & T with cucumber and rosemary - yummy.


The weather kept us on our toes, requiring us to make adjustments to our itinerary to reduce time in less protected anchorages.  Tim and I won the Boaty Ball lottery, successfully snagging a ball at 7 am in Great Harbour.  However, we realized that the winds were coming from an unusual direction, heading straight into the Harbour.  An app we use, called Navily, gave the anchorage a 57% rating, which could mean a rolly, sleepless night.  So we changed our plan and headed over to Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, which was perfectly protected.  Ashore, we found some great live music and we enjoyed a lovely sunset from the beach. 



The next day the unfavorable winds prevailed so we headed over to Norman Island for some snorkeling at the Caves.




Pirate insisted we head over to Willy T, for some drinks and entertainment watching everyone jump off the back of the Pirate ship.  Never one to back down from a challenge, Katie joined Roger and I to jump off the back, while Tim took care of Pirate. 

The next day Tim and I lost the Boaty Ball lottery in Great Harbour, so we decided to head to Little Harbour on Jost van Dyck and take a taxi over to Soggy Dollar.  Painkillers and Dark 'n Stormy were the order of the day.




That evening we went to Abe's in Little Harbour for lobster dinner - fresh from Anegada.  This knocked one more item off Kate's bucket list.  The ribs were delicious too.


Finally, we headed to Little Harbour on Peter Island to hang on a hook. This is a lovely secluded anchorage with lots of turtles swimming around and is one of Roger's favourites.  In this anchorage, boats drop the anchor then back up and tie to shore.  In order to do this maneuver, Tim and I got in the dinghy with over 100 ft of line, and a big loop tied in the end.  I got out on the shore and wrapped the loop around a large boulder while Roger deployed the anchor and backed Adventure 1 up towards us.  Tim and I then brought the line back to the boat to tie off.  Not an easy maneuver especially with slippery rocks and sea urchins in the water, but we were successful in the end.  In the pic below, we are the 5th boat from the left (just under the tree limb).  




Pirate was in the water as soon as the Pup Plank was deployed. 


Katie achieved her final bucket list item for the trip when she was snorkeling alongside a couple of turtles in the sea grass.  Tim also saw a giant turtle and a ray while he was swimming near the boat.

Lots of laughs, lots of sun, too much food, and too much wine .....  all in all, a successful vacation.


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